The overwhelming, yet exciting feeling of being in a completely new environment, the stress of another paper, the rush of joy as the class canceled email hits my inbox. These are just some of the feelings I’ve experienced as I move through my first...

I remember my first time stepping into Stratford Landing Elementary School as a student in the public education system back in September of 2009. I walked into the classroom and sat down at a table with other students eating Goldfish and waited for orientation...

Tryouts for West Po’s first esports team in school history will begin next Monday, April 18th and continue on Wednesday, April 20th. The tryouts will fill a total of 12 spots for two teams, one varsity and one junior varsity, to play the video game,...

Senior debaters Elizabeth Hardin and Aaron Kopp made West Po history by becoming the first ever debate team from the school to qualify for the prestigious Tournament of Champions. The tournament, hosted by the University of Kentucky from April 23-25,...

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed a bill into law allowing parents to opt their children out of mask mandates in public schools. The legislation took effect March 1st. The law requires schools to allow the opt out option for parents by March...

Fairfax County Public Schools announced it will no longer require students, staff, and visitors to wear masks beginning March 1st. The change allows FCPS to comply with a new state law signed by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin that effectively bans mask...

COVID-19 data through December 6th shows West Po has a lower Covid case rate than about two-thirds of Fairfax County Public Schools high schools, according to FCPS’s Covid Dashboard data. West Po ranks 8th lowest out of FCPS’s 25 high and secondary...

For the first time since the tumultuous 2020 race, Virginia voters will take to the polls for a general election on November 2 to elect leaders and representatives for a variety of state and local offices. The election will also serve as a test of party...

Mr. Kip Rogers is a science teacher at West Po. He teaches freshman Environmental Science and Biology, as well as AP Environmental Science. This is his 5th year teaching at West Po after being a long-term sub for a year before coming to the school.  Rogers...

Chaos struck West Po students’ inboxes this past Thursday night as one West Po student sent an email about YouTube restrictions to the email address, [email protected], which delivered the message to the entire student body, spawning...

Over Memorial Day weekend, West Po juniors Elizabeth Hardin and Aaron Kopp placed 12th in the virtual NCFL Grand National Debate Tournament out of 257 teams.  The tournament, originally planned for Minneapolis, proceeded online due to covid concerns...

Virginia's General Assembly wrapped up its first legislative session of the year in March having passed hundreds of bills, some of which will bring fundamental change to the state.  Lawmakers tackled the issue of marijuana by passing a legalization...

Early data from the Virginia Department of Education shows students are struggling academically as virtual learning continues across many of Virginia's school districts, including Fairfax County. Failing students is the biggest issue with virtual learning,...

After two of the most expensive Senate races in United States history, Democrats will take control of the Senate after Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff both won their runoff Senate elections in Georgia in early January. With these wins and Joe Biden's win...

Mr. George Coe teaches AP World History and freshman World History. He has previously taught a Current Events and World Religions class, but he is not teaching that this year. When asked about why he enjoys teaching at West Po, Mr. Coe said he enjoys...

With ever-growing calls for police reform across the United States, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam (D) signed a bill in fall banning no-knock search warrants in the state. The bill makes Virginia the 3rd state in the nation to ban no-knock warrants. The...

Despite major media outlets declaring Joe Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election, the current General Services Administrator, Emily Murphy, refuses to say Biden is the winner of the election, thus delaying the presidential transition process. According...

With the upcoming election just days away, a recent survey conducted among seniors at West Po found just 23.1% of eligible seniors have registered to vote, a result consistent with historical turnout trends among young adults. The survey also found...

Early voting in Virginia and across the country is surging amid the coronavirus pandemic and expanded early voting options in many states, evidenced by the long lines seen at the local polling location for early voting at the Fairfax County Government...

Across the country, getting enough sleep is a problem for most high school students, and West Po is no exception. A study about American high schoolers’ sleep published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found the vast majority of high schoolers were...

Ms. Laura Pendleton teaches freshman biology as well as human anatomy and physiology. She has been teaching full-time for eight years, all of those years being at West Po. Before teaching at West Po, Ms. Pendleton did some long-term substitute teaching...

The first show of the year for West Potomac’s Beyond The Page Theatre Company kicks off with the musical version of the blockbuster movie, Mamma Mia!. The performances will take place in the Springbank auditorium on November 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 8th, and...